Tony Vs CIRay, Part 2
by Agent Gibbs
Summary: After CI-Ray puts Ziva in the hospital, how will he respond when Tony challenges him to prove that he's more than a woman-beater? Find out.
1. Previously

_Previously..._

_"Zee-vah! What happened to your eye?" Tony kept bugging her about it._

'Why can't he leave me alone?'_ Ziva thought. "Nothing," she lied. "I ran into a door."_

_"DiNozzo, with me," Gibbs ordered._

_"On your six, boss," Tony answered, following Gibbs to the elevator._

_After she was sure Tony was gone, she pulled a mirror out of her desk. Her eye looked bad. She had no idea what she had done to Ray to deserve this, but one thing was certain: If Tony knew the truth, Ray would die._

_In the elevator, Tony flipped the emergency switch and faced Gibbs. "Boss, Ziva did not run into a cabinet. Someone hit her in the face."_

_"Ya think, DiNozzo? I want you to find out who did it, and why. Start with Ray Cruz."_

_"Got it, boss." Seeing the look on Gibbs' face, Tony added, "I think I'll go pay CI-Ray a visit."_

_"Yeah, you do that. Don't forget your gear." Gibbs flipped the emergency switch and the two agents stepped off the elevator._

_As Tony was gearing up, Ziva was staring off into space, at least until Tony loaded a new clip in his SIG. These were hollow point rounds. After she heard the "click" of Tony's SIG, she looked up._

_"Tony, where are you going?" Ziva asked him._

_"I'm gonna go pay a visit to CI-Ray. Gibbs' orders."_

_"NO!" Ziva got up and blocked Tony's path._

_"Ziva, there's something you're not telling me. Why can't I see CI-Ray?"_

_"He's just feeling anti-social right now."_

_"So that's why he turned you into a punching bag? Uh-uh. It doesn't work that way. Now, move."_

_"Stand up, Cruz. We're gonna talk, man to man."_

_Ray stood up and faced Tony, wobbling a little bit. "What?"_

_"I saw that little present you gave Ziva earlier. I don't think you remember my warning."_

_"First off, I do remember your warning. Second, Ziva is a klutz. It's not my fault that she hit her face on that cabinet." Ray smiled. Tony snapped._

_Tony grabbed Ray and pinned him against a wall. "Listen to me, you drunk son of a bitch. Here's what's gonna happen. If Ziva has a bruise, you get a scar. If she limps, you're on crutches. If she's on crutches, I'll put you in a wheelchair. And if she's in the ER, I'm going to put you in the morgue."_

_"Gibbs, I told you what happened already."_

_"And I said bullshit. Tell me the truth, Agent David."_

_The look on Gibbs' face told her she didn't have a choice in the matter._

_"Fine. Ray saw Tony leaving my apartment last night and he lost it. At first, he only broke some glass and a table. Then he came after me. He gave me the black eye, but I think I kicked him in the groin hard enough that he will not have any children."_

_"Regardless, I'm still assigning someone to watch your six."_

_"Who?"_

_"DiNozzo," Gibbs said as Tony got off the elevator._

_"Tony? If he finds out what Ray did-"_

_"I already know, Ziva. And I promised him that whatever he did to you, he'd get worse. I'm not letting him get away with this."_

_"Tony, I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but I can take care of myself."_

_"David, I don't recall saying it was up to you," Gibbs said. "Back to work."_

_At Ziva's apartment building, neither Tony or Ziva knew it, but Ray was watching them, waiting for Tony to leave so he could, at least in his mind, teach Ziva a lesson._

_He got out of his car and staggered to Ziva's apartment. He was getting off the elevator as Tony was leaving Ziva's apartment._

_Tony was halfway to the elevator when he realized that he forgot his phone. When he got back to her door, he heard Ray screaming at the top of his lungs._

_"YOU STUPID BITCH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU RAN TO _HIM_ FOR A LITTLE BIT OF COMFORT FOR THAT LITTLE BRUISE! BUT NOW, I WILL GIVE YOU A REASON TO NEED COMFORT!"_

_Tony heard several blows land on Ziva, and he drew his SIG and kicked her door down, aiming his weapon at Ray, who was holding a knife in one hand and an unconscious Ziva in the other._

_"You take one more step and I'll slice her throat!"_

_"Put the knife down, Ray. This is between you and me. Leave her out of this."_

_"No." Ray stuck the knife in Ziva's side and ran past Tony, knocking him on the ground. Tony shot Ray in the tricep and shoulder. He used her phone to call 911 and Gibbs._

_When Gibbs got to Ziva's apartment, he saw that Tony had sort of treated her wound, wrapping it and keeping pressure on it. Looking at Tony, Gibbs thought he saw a flash of scarlet in his Senior Field Agent's eyes. Tony wanted Ray Cruz dead._

_Somehow, Tony could feel the bastard's presence._

_Tony set Ziva's head gently on the floor and ran out of the apartment, straight for the parking lot._

_"DiNozzo! DiNOZZO! STAY HERE!" It was too late. Tony was taking the stairs three at a time. "McGee, make sure DiNozzo doesn't do anything stupid."_

_"On it, boss." McGee took off after Tony, and Gibbs was stuck with the BOLO on Ray._

_Tony spotted Ray in the parking lot and pulled him out of his car._

_"You like beating up on defenseless women, Ray? See if you like this, you fucking coward."_

_Tony began to hit every available spot on Ray, breaking Ray's nose and a few ribs. Luckily for Ray, McGee pulled Tony off before a kill shot could be delivered. Ray crawled back to his car and sped off before Tony broke out of McGee's grasp._

_"You should've let me kill him, McGee." Tony was fuming, and McGee saw the flash of scarlet in Tony's eyes. He wanted blood._


	2. I Hate Mondays

_Now..._

"Tony, if I had let you kill Ray, you'd've gone to Leavenworth."

"It would have been worth it. Did you see what he did to Ziva?"

"Tony-"

"_DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID TO HER!?_"

"Yes, Tony. I couldn't agree more that he's going to pay for this, but not by the hand of vigilante justice."

"I warned him. If she went to the ER, I would put him in the morgue. I intend to keep that promise."

Tony picked up a rock and hurled it at an abandoned building across the street, completely shattering a window. McGee backed away, leaving Tony to fume about what happened.

"I hate Mondays," Tony muttered.


	3. The Challenge

The next morning, Tony was late for work. The reason: He stopped by Ray's apartment. Again, he picked the lock and stepped in, SIG drawn.

"Hello, DiNozzo. Did you come for a beating?"

"No, I came to give you a challenge."

"What kind of challenge?"

"A fight. You and me. One of us will not walk out."

"Where and when?"

"Navy Yard gym. Saturday at noon. If you don't show up, I will find you and I will beat you to within an inch of your life. For Ziva."

"Bring it on. And it will be you that is not walking away, DiNozzo."

"Just to be clear, nobody's gonna break it up. Not until we've had enough."

"I will kill you."

"If you think you've got the guts, let's take it outside."

"You're a dead man, DiNozzo."

"If you think you're man enough, and you really wanna knuckle up. If you wanna shed a little blood, then let's take it outside."

Ray got up and advanced on Tony, drawing back to punch. Ray swung and missed, and Tony caught him on the chin.


	4. Gibbs Finds Out

When he got to work, Gibbs was waiting for him by the elevator.

"You're late, DiNozzo."

"Well aware, boss."

"Would you care to tell me WHY you're late?"

"I stopped to see CI-Ray."

"And you didn't arrest him?" Smack.

"I more or less challenged him to a fight to the death."

"When and where?"

"Saturday at noon, at the Navy Yard gym. We need a referee though, in case CI-Ray chickens out."

"Why are you doing this, DiNozzo?"

Tony sighed. "I told him that if he put Ziva in the hospital, I would put him in a morgue."

"There's more to this than that promise. DiNozzo, this better not be some damn macho show for Ziva."

"Never, Gibbs. This is just what I said. I'm delivering on a promise. But if it's seen that way, so be it. I don't care if everybody knows-"

"Knows what?" Gibbs cut Tony off.

"How I feel about Ziva," Tony finished.

"Save that for after you fight Cruz. Now, go home and train. I don't want my Senior Field Agent getting his ass handed to him by some CIA douchebag that gets his thrills from beating up women."

"Going, boss."


	5. Visiting Ziva

Tony didn't go home after he left NCIS. He stopped to see Ziva first. When he got to her room, a cop out front stopped him. After Tony flashed his badge, however, the cop let him in.

"Zee-vah!"

She smiled a little bit. "Shut up, Tony."

"How you feeling?"

Her smile faded. "Like I was used for a punching bag. Tony, what did I do to deserve it?"

"Ziva, you didn't do anything to deserve this. Cruz is just an insecure piece of shit. He doesn't deserve you."

"I am sorry, Tony."

"For what?"

"That you had to see me like this. That I let myself get sucked in by that _chazzer_ and his false charm."

"Well, you haven't heard yet."

"What?"

"I'm fighting him on Saturday."

"Tony, that is suicide."

"Ziva, I told him a long time ago that if he hurt you, I'd make him wish he never met me. Yesterday, when I paid him that visit, I told him that if he put you in the hospital, he'd be a guest on one of Ducky's slabs. I intend to deliver on that promise Saturday."

"Tony-"

"You're not talking me out of this. I'm doing this more for you than for me."

"What?"

Tony sighed. "Ziva, I know you saw my bucket list. Number 26 can be crossed off right now. I love you, Ziva. I always have."

"I love you too, Tony. But what about Ray?"

"After Saturday, he'll only be a memory. You know, I almost killed him last night."

"Why didn't you?"

"Gibbs sent the Elf Lord to stop me. But nobody is going to stop me next time."

"At least until you beat his brains out. Yes?"

'_Wow. That one she gets right,_' he thought, grinning. "Not even then. Not until his dental records can't even identify him."

"That is overkill. And I want a front-row seat."

"Are you gonna be out of here by then?"

"The doctor said I can go home today."

"You do know that you're coming back to my place after what happened last night."

Before Ziva could say anything, the doctor walked in to give her the okay to go home.

"So, Tony," Ziva said after the doctor left, "I am going home with you. Is it just for today?"

"Would you like forever?"

"Very much so."

"Page 57?"

Ziva nodded with a smile, and Tony grinned his thousand-watt grin. His phone started ringing. It was Gibbs. "Yeah, boss?"

"_Rule number 12._" Click.

"Of course."

"What was that about?" Ziva could barely keep from laughing at Tony's face.

"Gibbs wanted to remind me of Rule 12."

"He could have done that in person."

"I know that. But what I don't know is how he knew where I was."

"Do not worry about it, Tony. Just focus on Saturday."

"With a sexy ninja assassin like you around? I think I'll just shoot him."

"Tony." She could not help but laugh at what he had just said. "I can help you train for the fight."


	6. The Fight

Saturday. Noon. Everybody at the Navy Yard knew about the fight by now. Back in the locker room, Ziva was giving Tony some last-minute tips.

"Tony, this fight is going to be 60% mental and-"

"That's mainly because the other 40% of the time, I'll be beating the living shit out of him."

"Exactly." Ziva smiled. "Close your eyes, Tony."

"Okay."

After he closed his eyes, Ziva put him back in that place. "You have just seen Ray drag my lifeless body up off of the floor. He has a knife in his hand, about to slice my throat, but he stabs me in the side instead. He runs like a coward. You know he's close by. You want to hurt him. Hurting him, KILLING him is the only way to make the pain go away."

"Kill."

"You are ready. Open your eyes. You are still seeing Ray hurt me. You will wake up only when I say your name. Okay?"

"Okay."

Tony pushed past McGee and everyone else, into the ring. Ray had shown up, shockingly. Gibbs rang the bell, and Tony began to beat the living hell out of Ray.

A flurry of fists was flying, more of Tony's than Ray's. All of Tony's blows connected, and Ray dropped to the mat. Tony began a ground and pound attack, pummeling his victim until Ray began to cry like a little girl. This did not deter Tony. Instead, it fired him up even more. He stood Ray up and began to deliver several blows to Ray's ribcage, hearing the bones crack and shatter.

Tony threw one last punch, and CI-Ray crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor. Tony stomped him until he heard Ziva yell his name.

"TONY!" He broke out of his trance and fell against Ziva. It was over. CI-Ray was dead. Tony had delivered on his promise, and no one would ever lay a hand on Ziva again.


	7. Many Thanks

His arm raised in victory (As Ducky attended to CI-Ray), Tony walked out of the gym with Ziva on his other arm, and his day could not have been better. Until he and Ziva got back to his apartment.

Tony was all for watching a movie, but Ziva wanted to show him how grateful she was. For the rest of the weekend, she thanked him **a lot**. And **LOUDLY**. The neighbors listened to Ziva thanking Tony all weekend.

During a slow run in their celebration, they got to talking.

"Tony, how did you know it was him that was-"

"Beating you? After I left your place on Sunday, I noticed CI-Ray was a little mad. The next morning, you look like you met a frying pan. It was like putting 2 and 2 together. And he pretty much admitted it when I paid him that visit Monday."

"And then Monday night."

"What happened?"

"I told him it was over and that he should move on. I said I loved someone else."

"Who?" Tony was playing dumb. He knew she was talking about him.

"You." Ziva smiled brighter than she had in months. Their friendship from the last six years had evolved into something more, like they both hoped that it would.

The fight was not just an ego boosting victory for Tony. It was a victory for Ziva too, mainly because she didn't have to put up with CI-Ray anymore. She was with Tony, and she considered that a win any day of the week.


End file.
